May 08, 2012

Bad Choices

So hey, how's that PhD. in medieval history working out for ya?

Today's college graduates have, for the most part, spent tens of thousands of borrowed dollars to further enhance their already inflated sense of self-esteem. They took easy classes, earning worthless degrees, and are now upset that not only can they not find a job, but increasing numbers are on welfare.

Ms. Bruninga-Matteau, a 43-year-old single mother who teaches two humanities courses at Yavapai College, in Prescott, Ariz., says "I find it horrifying that someone who stands in front of college classes and teaches is on welfare."

Maybe you could have made better choices. When I started college, I had this nebulous idea of going into anthropology, which for me was a fascinating subject. Still is. Yet, after about a year and a half, it dawned on me that everybody I knew with a degree in anthro was waiting tables. You don't need a degree to do that, so I switched out. If I could figure that out, why couldn't you?

Although I worked during the summer in manufacturing, it seemed pretty clear that those jobs were going away, and we were entering what pundits referred to as "the knowledge industry".

Me, I moved into a mix of hard and malleable sciences: biology, a bit of operant conditioning, a bit of computer stuff. Psychology (behavior modification, operant conditioning) were easy classes, which I finished in half a term. That gave me time to work on the hard stuff: biology, chemistry, transistor-to-transistor logic, programming. I even got a break because I tutored chemistry and programming, once I got the hang of things.

In short, I acquired something you don't have: useful knowledge. And I applied that in the real world. I didn't send out resumes, hoping to snag an academic position so that I could teach others - unlike you, I had a sense of humility. Instead, I applied for - and received - small grants to do interesting real-world work. That led to actual jobs, which paid reasonably well.

In the grant days, money was tight. I invested most of the funds into tolls and materials, ate a lot of noodles and rice. Never went on welfare or food stamps. I thought hard, worked hard - and it was noticed.

If I could do it - why can't you? Don't give me excuses about the economy - I was doing it in the Jimmy Carter days; I know about crappy economies. No - you can't do it because you have an inflated sense of entitlement.

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Bad Choices

So hey, how's that PhD. in medieval history working out for ya?

Today's college graduates have, for the most part, spent tens of thousands of borrowed dollars to further enhance their already inflated sense of self-esteem. They took easy classes, earning worthless degrees, and are now upset that not only can they not find a job, but increasing numbers are on welfare.

Ms. Bruninga-Matteau, a 43-year-old single mother who teaches two humanities courses at Yavapai College, in Prescott, Ariz., says "I find it horrifying that someone who stands in front of college classes and teaches is on welfare."

Maybe you could have made better choices. When I started college, I had this nebulous idea of going into anthropology, which for me was a fascinating subject. Still is. Yet, after about a year and a half, it dawned on me that everybody I knew with a degree in anthro was waiting tables. You don't need a degree to do that, so I switched out. If I could figure that out, why couldn't you?

Although I worked during the summer in manufacturing, it seemed pretty clear that those jobs were going away, and we were entering what pundits referred to as "the knowledge industry".

Me, I moved into a mix of hard and malleable sciences: biology, a bit of operant conditioning, a bit of computer stuff. Psychology (behavior modification, operant conditioning) were easy classes, which I finished in half a term. That gave me time to work on the hard stuff: biology, chemistry, transistor-to-transistor logic, programming. I even got a break because I tutored chemistry and programming, once I got the hang of things.

In short, I acquired something you don't have: useful knowledge. And I applied that in the real world. I didn't send out resumes, hoping to snag an academic position so that I could teach others - unlike you, I had a sense of humility. Instead, I applied for - and received - small grants to do interesting real-world work. That led to actual jobs, which paid reasonably well.

In the grant days, money was tight. I invested most of the funds into tolls and materials, ate a lot of noodles and rice. Never went on welfare or food stamps. I thought hard, worked hard - and it was noticed.

If I could do it - why can't you? Don't give me excuses about the economy - I was doing it in the Jimmy Carter days; I know about crappy economies. No - you can't do it because you have an inflated sense of entitlement.

Rules For Rutabegas

You need to read this if you're stupid

All views are welcome here, but there are a few rules that most understand intuitively. If you're stupid, you need them spelled out. So this note's for you:
1) You don't get to call people names (referred to in general parlance as an "ad-hominem attack").
2) You don't get to hijack discussion threads. This means that you confine your comments to the the post, and/or to comments related to the post.
3) You don't get to spit, drool, crap on the carpets, nor employ expletives - even if you believe that doing so showcases your vast intellectual capabilities.
4) If you happen to be stupid enough to be unable to comply with the above rules, you will receive one (1) warning - after which your subsequent comments may be removed, and your comment privileges revoked.